Pulse
by sorachicken
Summary: Gran Pulse might not be a picnic, but that doesn't stop our heroes from goofing around, building bonds, and trying to ignore some of the noises Vanille makes. Includes some sweet Lightning x Hope and a dash of Fang x Vanille


Lightning was blown away when she approached the mysterious white blobs that sat huddled by the ponds of Gran Pulse. They had caught her eye from several hundred yards away and she had wondered if they might be cauliflower or some type of fungus. And here they were, right before her eyes: small, harmless, adorable sheep! Not many things got to Lightning, but the docile creatures instantly gave her a feeling of fondness. And confusion.

 _How do these little guys survive in a place like this?_

In truth, there seemed to be a bloodthirsty monster everywhere she turned. These sheep were a pleasant change of scenery. One hopped her way and bleated at her innocently. Or perhaps it was threatening her; she couldn't tell the difference. They were cute, all the same. Add to that their fluffy white wool and they almost reminded her of…

"Woah! Check those out!" Snow suddenly ran up with Hope in tow.

"You think they'll let me pet 'em?" Hope asked as he sprinted up next to Lightning.

Lightning smiled to herself. _Yep, just as harmless as the sheep._ "You? Sure. But I think if our illustrious 'Hero' tries anything he'll just scare them off."

"Heyyyy," Snow complained, "C'mon, I'm not that scary. See?" He lifted a sheep into his arms and gave it a pet between its two curly horns.

Hope, seeing how easy it was for Snow to get ahold of one, immediately reached his arms out and scooped one up for himself. The little sheep looked quite content nestled against Hope's chest. He cradled it in one hand and pulled the glove off of his other with his teeth.

"Woah, Light, you gotta feel him! His wool is really soft!" Hope exclaimed while scratching the animal's side with his bare fingers.

Wordlessly she walked up to the sheep in Hope's arms and stroked the creature along its back. It made a playful bleat and snuggled closer to Hope who laughed in surprise, "I think he likes that!"

Lightning smiled. She then heard Vanille's distinguishable gasp in the distance as she -along with Fang and Sazh- approached the other three.

"Aww! Just like in Nautilus!" Vanille twirled next to Sazh who grinned and gave a quick, "Yeah!"

Fang strolled over to Snow -who was now holding a sheep in each arm- and patted his shoulder. "Not a bad look for you, big guy!" she teased. She then turned her attention toward Lightning. "Well, well. Looks like someone has a soft spot for the little guys."

Lightning gave her a suspicious glance before returning her attention to the sheep. "You two ever seen these before?"

"Sure! All the time in Oerba. We had a little ranch where we kept them. They have the best milk, and the wool was perfect for making clothes!" Vanille explained, brushing her fingers across her light pink top.

Fang took a seat on the grassy hill by the pond and smiled as her friend divulged about a happier time in their life. Things were tough, now, and their future was uncertain. But they still had the chance to make a few more memories. And maybe… they'd see home again.

* * *

Gran Pulse wasn't the "Hell" Lightning had expected, but it certainly wasn't a picnic. She and her l'Cie comrades were constantly on their toes ever since they had touched down onto the large continent's surface.

Even the two Pulse-grown women were on their guard as they scoured the Steppe, looking for clues as to how they could lose their brands (all while simultaneously avoiding a fate of being eaten, mauled or stepped on by wild beasts).

They all shared the same impending doom: if they didn't fulfill their Focus or find a way to lose their brands, they were toast.

One day, while scouting with Lightning and Hope, Fang vocalized her concerns.

"Don't get me wrong," Fang told the two as they took a break to check their equipment, "All I've ever cared about was getting Vanille back home. But now, well… time is running out for us. Even if I don't turn, I could never live with myself if Vanille became a Cie'th." Her eyes narrowed, staring at the spear in her lap. "And you all got dragged into it because of us. Because we screwed up."

The three had been teaming up frequently these days, and typically, conversation was light. Fang would tease Hope about getting grass stains on the seat of his pants, or his funny bed head. She and Lightning would have competitions when taking out a horde of enemies. And Hope would try to "prove himself useful" by demonstrating his expertise in one skill or another. However, during the last couple days, Fang's mind seemed heavy. As she began to care more for the others on the team, the weight of her guilt increased.

"Fang…" Hope paused his latest task of cleaning Lightning's Blazefire saber, "If the fal'Cie didn't pick us, then they would have just found other people to use. This didn't happen because of you and Vanille."

Lightning finished the last of her sit-ups and stated, "Hope's right. You need to stop carrying that burden. It will only distract you from doing what needs to be done."

Fang looked between her two companions and blew out a great sigh. "That easy, huh?" She gave a sheepish smile. "You know, I don't care much for gettin' all sappy, but it means a lot. You know, that you watch out for me and Vanille."

"Well, we're family now," Hope said matter-of-factly.

Fang was quiet for a while, taking in the sincerity of her… family. "Yeah. I guess we are."

* * *

A day later Hope had his moment of vulnerability. He had been thinking a lot about his role in the group and feared that every break taken, every moment wasted, was on his behalf. He feared that the people he had come to care for would get hurt trying to protect him. His guilt reached its climax and was unleashed in the form of his Eidolon, Alexander.

After battling the monolith of a beast, the group stayed up late, chatting around the campfire. Vanille tenderly wrapped her fur shawl over Hope's shoulders, and Snow handed the boy a large helping of Behemoth steak that had been crackling over the fire.

Lightning sat herself next to the silver-haired boy, listening as the group shared stories. Most of which were tales dominated by Vanille and Fang's adventures on Pulse, the tribe they were part of, and their role as l'Cie before they had turned to crystal. While the others were occupied with story-telling, Hope glanced up at Lightning and put a hand on hers.

"You okay?" Lightning turned, giving a look of concern.

"Yeah. Light, uh, I wanted to say thanks again. I couldn't have gotten this far without you." He looked at her seriously.

Lightning smiled and nudged the boy's head with her finger.

"I've got your back, remember?"

Hope smiled and nodded in return.

* * *

"I'm gonna go wash up," Hope stood up from his place at the campsite while Lightning and Sazh prepared lunch, a few days later.

The others would be back any time, now, to join in the meal and Hope had the die-hard habit of washing his hands before eating. Ingrained by his practical parents. He also wanted to take some time to get the grass stains off of his pants, _again_. Despite becoming a lot stronger since obtaining Alexander, Behemoths somehow always managed to knock Hope onto his butt.

"You want to take Chocobo with you?" Sazh called out to him.

"Don't worry, I'll be alright!"

And with that, Hope jogged off in the direction of the creek.

Twenty minutes had passed and Lightning started to get concerned. The others had already returned from their waystone mission. Maybe Hope had run into trouble on the way back?

"He's probably just being thorough. The kid is a bit of a neat-freak," Sazh suggested offhandedly, not really noticing how much time had passed as he tended to the meat cooking over the fire.

"Mmm." Lightning considered, but she decided she'd rather be safe and check up on him.

"I'll be right back."

She couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken as she darted along the same path she did when they had found Hope unconscious by the stream. For the most part, few beasts roamed the narrow canyon, as little was provided in way of food and shelter. Occasionally she ran into a few packs of flowering slugs.

Not three minutes had passed when she reached her destination.

Lightning gave a small sigh of relief, Hope's seated form by the creek catching her eye. He probably just wanted some alone time with his own thoughts. A trait they didn't exactly share, as she preferred a good fight to get her mind _off_ things; but she could appreciate the value of getting away from the crowd. Trying not to draw any attention to herself, she turned and leaned against the canyon wall, giving him his privacy. Maybe she should stop worrying about him, after all. He had become exceedingly brave and powerful as they adventured across the Steppe, taking on Cie'th stone missions and building their strength. His Thundaga spell alone could rip through the defenses of any foe and left the earth marred with scorch marks. Not to mention, he was the fastest healer of their group. Lightning smiled fondly. Anytime an enemy attempted to cut into her skin with tooth and claw, Hope had her back, curing her before she had time to feel the sting of pain.

Lost in memory, she almost missed Hope's distant voice say, "Light."

Maybe he had seen her after all? She pushed from her perch against the canyon and was about to approach when she noticed that he actually wasn't facing her direction. He was still sitting next to the creek, his back to her so that she couldn't read his face. Lightning took another step forward. Hope moaned softly, but didn't seem to acknowledge her. Maybe he was sick? She stood still, waiting for him to call her over again. When he didn't, she decided to call out to him instead. But before his name could even pass her lips, her eyes widened and she suddenly realized that she had stumbled on a more private moment than she originally thought.

Lightning quietly retreated towards camp, not giving a backward glance. Her cheeks burned with a blush as she tried to push the image of Hope from her mind. _He was… why would he…?_

She paused halfway to camp. She'd need to get ahold of herself so that her comrades wouldn't ask questions. Their little "family" was dysfunctional enough as it was.

The ex-soldier paced, trying to make sense of what she had witnessed. _He's a teenager. He's been through a lot. Everyone needs to blow off steam_ , one side of her brain rationalized.

 _Why the hell would he be thinking of me?_ the other side wondered. _Have I done anything to give him any ideas…?_

 _He admires you, maybe that's enough._

 _So, do I bring it up?_

Lightning pressed her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose. This would be a very awkward conversation to have. A tough one, too, especially since she and Hope had grown so close. Then again, for all Hope knew, Lightning hadn't seen a thing. She sighed.

 _I won't bring it up. But if he gets any funny ideas, he's gonna get knocked on his skinny ass._

* * *

Coming across the alcove of chocobos was the band of l'Cie's best discovery, yet. The giant yellow birds were friendly enough. But their best trait? They were incredibly fast, cutting travel time down to a fraction of what they'd spend on foot. Treasures were easier to come by, too.

Sazh was more happy than the group had seen him in days. He ran around shouting, "Kweh kweh! Kweh kweh!" with his little chocobo chick doing spins in the air.

There were some places the group wanted to try and reach with their brand new steeds, and Fang wasted no time, hopping into a side-saddle position as her chocobo carried her away. Sazh followed suit, clambering on board one of the birds. It squawked and pecked his shoulder when he stepped on its wing.

"Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers!" he said as he finally situated himself. As he darted off, the rest of the group could only manage to wrangle two more chocobos from the small alcove. The others were a bit skittish and would run away if any of them approached. They would have to find a couple more on the central expanse of the Steppe.

"Wanna share?" Vanille asked Hope as she hopped atop one's back.

"I think small fry needs to come with me," Snow said, whose towering physique made him almost just as tall as the chocobos themselves. He merely had to hoist one leg up to find his seat.

"Fine," Hope walked over to Snow's chocobo, "But don't pick me—ahh!" Snow grabbed Hope by the shoulders and plopped him down in front of him. The boy whipped his head around to glare at the burly man, then proceeded to smooth out his knitted orange capelet.

"Guess you're with me!" Vanille called over to Lightning. She reached out her hand, and the rose-haired woman walked over to grab it, pulling herself up behind Vanille.

"Hold on, partner!" Snow shouted as their chocobo took off in a meteoric streak of yellow. Lightning could hear Hope screaming as the two boys disappeared into the narrow canyon. Vanille giggled.

"Right, let's go!" the younger girl called after them; and soon their bird caught up to the others.

After they rode about the expanse, picking up little treasures and completing a few Cie'th stone missions -and a pair of chocobos were collected along the way- the group all stopped for a break near the entrance of the Mah'habara caves.

Sazh cracked open some coconuts to share with the group while Fang de-boned an Orobon (which tasted surprisingly like some of the fish found in Bodhum, when grilled properly).

"Here," Hope handed his canteen to Lightning.

"Thanks," she gave a quick smile before downing some of the refreshing water. He smiled back before returning to his spot next to his newfound chocobo. Lightning passed the canteen over to Vanille, who gratefully took a sip, and the two watched Hope as he scratched the chocobo's neck. The bird wiggled its tail feathers and then turned to nuzzle the boy, who laughed in response.

Vanille tittered, "They're so cute!"

Lightning had never talked much with Vanille, but the redhead reminded her a bit of Serah. Her manner was just as carefree and joyful. Without having much history, she had a little bit of trouble relating to the nineteen year old.

"Hey Lightning," the girl in question cocked her head to look at the warrior next to her, "What do you think of Hope?"

"Uh," Lightning's lips parted as she involuntarily recalled catching Hope by the stream. However she quickly regained her composure. Her companionship with Hope was still solid. _It helps that he keeps his crush to himself,_ she thought. In fact, Lightning wasn't even bothered by it anymore. Albeit she would feel a little embarrassed when the memory intruded, but she and Hope were just as chummy as ever. Before she could respond, Vanille elaborated, "He seems a lot happier, doesn't he?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah, he's toughened up a lot. He's a bit more optimistic than me about this whole ordeal, if we're being honest."

Vanille scratched the back of her head, "I know. He and I chatted the other day, and I couldn't believe how much he'd changed! I was there when he saw his mum die." She gave a forlorn smile, glancing his way, "But when we talked, he was the one cheering _me_ up. He really made me feel better about all the lies I told. Said I'd just have to make 'em come true!"

"Hmm. We _have_ had to tell ourselves a lot of stuff just to keep going."

"Mmhmm! Anyway, I know a lot of it has to do with you. I'm really happy to see him doing so well."

Not used to flattery, Lightning stammered, "I-I really didn't do anything…"

"C'mon, you know he's changed! Everyone saw what a grump he was before!"

"We talkin' about Hope?" Sazh came and sat between the girls, holding half a coconut in his cupped hands.

"Sure are!" Vanille grinned broadly at her early companion.

"Wait, what?" Hope called from his spot not too far away. His chocobo impatiently nudged him to continue scratching its neck.

"Ha," Snow joined in, "Grumpy was only the half of it. He tried to murder me!"

"Whaaa?" Sazh's mouth hung open, having not heard about this before.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Hope complained.

Vanille continued, "But look at him now: sweet as can be!"

Hope threw a look to Light, silently begging her to make them stop poking fun at him. But Lightning only gave a mischievous glance back as she threw in her two cents.

"Yep, first with the sheep, and now the chocobos."

"Oh, Hope!" Vanille exclaimed, "We should dress you up like a sheep! Your hair is perfect!"

"You're not serious," he protested. But judging by the glint in everyone's eyes, he had a feeling that if they all lived through this, they may force him to do just that.

 _I'll totally do it if we live through this,_ he decided to put the idea out into the universe.

* * *

"Stop throwing that thing around."

"Hm?" Snow turned to Lightning as he caught Serah's crystal tear with a quick _whoosh_ of his wrist. "What's the matter, sis?"

"You're always tossing that around in the air. You're gonna lose it."

Snow grinned. "Oh ye of little faith!" he chastised, "I couldn't lose it if I tried. This tear is a symbol that Serah is with us, wherever we go. Doesn't matter if we're on Pulse or Cocoon, she is watching over us."

He held the tear up and let the lowlights of oil lanterns glint through it. "It's a promise of a life together, where we'll always have each other. Even if we all turn to crystal, we'll find each other again. And when I do, I'm gonna marry—" the crystal then chose that moment fumble between his fingers and fall down a chasm in the Mah'habara caves.

"Shit."

Two hours, and one Hope riding a Juggernaut later, the crystal was found.

Hope held it in the air. "Got it!" he shouted triumphantly. He then proceeded to toss it for Snow to catch.

"AH! Careful!" Snow screamed as the crystal bounced in his hands before he clasped it tightly against his chest. He and Lightning both breathed a sigh of relief as Hope gave them a strange look while clambering off the giant machine. _Doesn't he always throw that thing around?_ Hope wondered. Then again, they never _did_ tell him how it ended up two hundred feet below, stuck in a pool of mud.

* * *

Hope squinted his eyes as the sun beckoned him awake. That first brightness of day was relentless, causing the group to rise early no matter how late they stayed up the night before. As Hope sat himself up from his grassy spot by the exit of Sulyya Springs, he soon realized that it wasn't the sun that had roused him.

"Faaannnnng!" he heard Vanille squeal somewhere nearby. For as many times as he heard Vanille's repertoire of vocal inflections, he could never quite convince himself that he wasn't about to see something… inappropriate. He should have been used to Fang's endless pranks on the strawberry red-head. Yet when he finally rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got a look at his surroundings, he realized his gut reaction might have been right this time.

Vanille was in a river -most likely bathing- and Fang was a good forty meters away, with all of Vanille's clothing in hand.

"Give them back!" Hope heard her cry out.

"Not a chance," Fang smirked. "You did the same thing to me last week, and did you hear me complain?"

"I _told_ you!" Vanille protested, " I was patching it up for you! I wasn't stealing it!"

"Uh-huh. Sure you were."

As the two playfully bickered, Hope turned to see Light, Snow and Sazh already awake, seemingly making a great effort to ignore the two Pulsians. However, the girls were difficult to tune out. Even more so when Vanille eventually dashed out of the river, wearing nothing but her beads and dangly jewelry, and began chasing after her older companion.

The commotion caused the other three to glance over, only to immediately turn away; leaving Sazh to fake a dramatic coughing fit, Snow awkwardly scratching his head, and Lightning trying to cover up her blush with a stoic face.

Hope joined the three of them, not daring to take another look over his shoulder until he knew it was safe.

"So…" Snow began, "Nothing like waking up to those two to get you up an' at 'em, right Hope?"

Sazh resumed his coughing fit.

* * *

When they first visited Taejin's Tower, they were immediately greeted by the most hideous looking wolf creature Lightning had ever seen. About fifty times worse than a Gorgonopsid. And it was as hostile as it was ugly. After she cast Libra on it, Hope switched up his routine to a torrent of water spells. Fang let out a loud "whoop" and called over her shoulder, "That's right, Hopey, bathe this beast to death!" Lightning snorted and Hope rolled his eyes, but whipped his hand through the air, ever impassioned as he cast his spells. The Mánagarmr went down with a final splash of water and the two girls smirked at Hope having actually "bathed the beast to death."

The tower was their last stop before Oerba. And a hostile fal'Cie awaited them at the top. It was an intimidating prospect, but the l'Cie had faced worse. And without the help of magic statues, they might add.

* * *

Fang and Vanille were nothing short of devastated at the sight of their ruined hometown. Hundreds of years had passed while they were in crystal stasis, so they knew it would be different than they remembered. But it was actually all the more tragic that it had essentially stayed the same: their photos, houses and memories were littered about the tiny town, which was otherwise lifeless and frozen as a relic of the War of Transgression.

The group wandered around the town, their hope significantly drained, as they looked for anything that might help them finish their journey.

Oerba was nearly ridden of its Cie'th occupants by nightfall. The team returned to a stilted building where they found the first welcome sight since they had arrived: a small robot named Bhakti, who had rabbit-like ears and tiny wheels that it used to maneuver around the house. After Sazh repaired the near-ancient machine, it gave them trinkets it had stored up over the years.

They were all quiet that night as they sprawled about the small living space. Even though no words were shared, not one of them drifted to slumber with ease. Lightning, with her head propped in one hand, stared at the ceiling, silently reaching out to Serah. She knew Snow was doing the same. _Please, tell us how we can help you,_ she prayed. _Give me something to hope for. I want to see you again._

At dawn, Hope touched her shoulder with his gloved hand. "Light?" he whispered.

She blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked up at her friend. "Hope? What's going on?" her voice rasped with residual sleepiness.

"Will you come with me for a bit?"

She sat up and let him take her hand. The two tip-toed down the metal staircase outside the building, then made their way toward an old schoolhouse on the water. They had been inside it earlier, when searching for parts to repair Bhakti. Hope pulled her along to a hidden hall. On one end were stairs that led down to water softly lapping at the edge. Opposite that, was a staircase that led to the school's roof. Lightning squinted as the early morning sun hit her eyes. But then she stared in astonishment at the sight before her. Though swathed in crystal powder, miraculously, dozens of flowers surrounded her, housed in planters all over the deck. The planters were overgrown, but the flowers were the most beautiful she had seen on Pulse. Looking out beyond the schoolhouse was a lake -or perhaps the sea- with windmills slowly turning in the distance.

"Hope, this is…"

"I know." He squeezed her hand, then released it as he went to the edge of the deck. He leaned his palms against the railing, looking out over the sea. "I couldn't believe it when I found it."

Lightning walked up next to him and stood silently, staring out as the rising sun caused the water to glitter vibrantly. There was no sound apart from the two breathing and the windmills creaking away in the breeze.

"It… wouldn't be so bad if this wound up being our last day," the boy said, mostly to himself.

The ex-soldier turned to face him. He was pensive, but relaxed, soaking in what beauty he could in the face of a harsh fate. No matter what awaited them, she could feel that things were coming to a head, soon.

Hope stretched his arms over his head then swiveled around to meet Lightning's eyes. "Do you think we're at the end?" he said, wringing his hands together. Lightning's eyes flicked down.

"I don't know. The end of the road is there, plain as day," she nodded towards a dilapidated highway. "But Cocoon is also right there. Something about that drives me."

"Well, whatever happens, I'm not afraid anymore," Hope resolved. "I'm ready for anything."

The two stood on the deck in silence for a few minutes longer before their comrades showed up to take in the scene with them. Eventually enough time had passed that Snow inhaled deeply and turned to the others.

"Well guys, why don't we go see what's on the end of that rainbow?"

And they all followed his lead onto the ruined highway, ready to take on whatever they faced next.

* * *

Author's Notes: Wow, it's been a while! I just played through Lightning Returns for the first time (that game was great fun!) and proceeded to play through FF13 again. I'll be writing two sequels to this story (one each for FF13-2 and LR) so be on the lookout if you're interested. Leave me a note, too! I'm fan-girling all over again for this game. :)


End file.
